The Hidden Extra: The Lazy Prince Refuses to Ascend The Throne

Near the entrance hall, Isabella, Elina, and Eliza stood facing a tall, bespectacled man with a handsome face.

Elina lowered her head and said softly, ”Thank you for your help last night, Prime Minister Mikazura. Without your defense, I would have struggled to face Cassian’s accusations.”

Prime Minister Mikazura chuckled and waved his hand. ”It’s fine. Don’t worry about it. I did it because I knew you were innocent.”

At the same time, he glanced at Isabella beside Elina with a meaningful look.

Isabella rolled her eyes and ignored him, then said casually, ”I also want to thank you. But I know words alone aren’t enough, so take this.”

She reached into her pocket and took out a white ribbon that emitted an icy mist.

”Take it. It’s for you. I know you’ve always wanted it, right? This time, because you helped Elina, I’ll give it to you,” she said casually.

Prime Minister Mikazura froze, as if he couldn’t believe his eyes.

”Th-this... the Eternal Ice Ribbon?” He swallowed nervously. ”Isn’t this a gift from—”

Before he could finish his sentence, Isabella clenched her right fist and punched him hard in the stomach.

”Argh!” Prime Minister Mikazura groaned in pain.

Seeing this, Elina gaped in disbelief. This was the first time she had seen her mother hit anyone other than her brother.

After all, in front of others, her mother always presented an elegant and calm image.

Realizing her mistake, Isabella cleared her throat softly, withdrew her hand, and put on a composed expression.

”Anyway, that thing is yours, and I’m giving it to you. Even if he gets angry at you, just tell him it’s from me,” Isabella said indifferently.

Prime Minister Mikazura stared at the ice ribbon in his palm, and his expression slowly softened.

”In that case, thank you for your kindness, Consort Isabella. I owe you.”

Isabella rolled her eyes. ”Didn’t I already say this is a reward for what you did last night? Fine, forget it. Now return to your empire. Shoo! Shoo!”

Prime Minister Mikazura chuckled, exchanged a few more words with Elina and Isabella, and finally walked toward his horse-drawn carriage, disappearing from view.

Elina turned to Isabella with a suspicious look.

”Mother, do you know Prime Minister Mikazura? Why do you seem so familiar with him?”

Isabella smiled faintly as she lifted Eliza into her arms.

”You’re thinking too much. Prime Minister Mikazura and I have no relationship whatsoever. I only met him by chance when I returned to the Eastern Empire of Izanagi. That’s all.”

However, Elina did not immediately believe her.

After all, just last night, her mother had asked her to trust Prime Minister Mikazura—something that clearly didn’t make sense if they were merely acquaintances who had met by chance upon her return to the Eastern Empire of Izanagi.

Even so, Elina didn’t press further and changed the subject.

”By the way, what do you want to do now, Mom?”

”I need to go see former Prime Minister Gustav and his children. They’ll be returning soon, and Eliza has to say goodbye to them.”

Elina nodded. ”In that case, I also need to meet the nobles who supported me during the throne battle.”

After exchanging a few more words, Isabella walked inside with Eliza in her arms.

Elina let out a long sigh and was about to leave when a voice called out to her from behind.

”Princess, may I have a moment of your time?”

Surprised, Elina turned around and saw a beautiful woman with a flat, expressionless face.

”Young Lady Margaretta?” Elina’s brows furrowed. ”Do you need something from me?”

Margaretta walked toward her with a faint smile.

”Yes. I need to speak with you about something important. Could you spare some time?”

Elina wanted to refuse, as Margaretta made her uncomfortable.

Moreover, Margaretta was on Cedric’s side—her enemy in the battle for the throne.

Still, Elina swallowed the refusal that nearly slipped out and nodded slightly.

”Alright. Let’s go to the palace garden.”

Margaretta didn’t object and walked off with Elina toward the palace garden.

***

”So, what do you need from me?”

Elina poured tea from the teapot prepared by the maids into a cup, then handed it to Margaretta.

Margaretta lifted the cup, took a sip, and said flatly, ”Actually, nothing special, Your Highness. I just wanted to have a casual chat with you. Is that alright?”

Elina’s expression remained cold and indifferent. ”Don’t try to lie to me. Just tell me why you came to see me.”

Margaretta paused for a moment, then smiled faintly.

”You really are sharp, Your Highness. Very well, I won’t take much of your time. What I want to say is this: please give up the battle for the throne while you still have the chance. Otherwise, you will surely regret it.”

Elina was taken aback. She hadn’t expected Margaretta to say something like that.

”What do you mean?” she asked, narrowing her eyes.

”Nothing in particular. I’m merely conveying my goodwill,” Margaretta replied calmly. ”In this battle for the throne, Prince Cedric is destined to win. Neither you nor I can deny that destiny. However, I sense goodness in you, so I came to warn you. It would be better to withdraw now than to find yourself unable to do so later.”

Behind her indifferent gaze, a strange, inexplicable glint flashed.

Elina frowned. ”Did you ask to speak with me just to say this? If so, that’s truly disappointing.”

She rose slowly and turned away, but Margaretta quickly stopped her.

”I hope you’ll think about it, Your Highness. This is for your own good.”

Unfortunately, Elina remained unmoved and simply walked away.

To her, Margaretta’s words made no sense. She had already come this far, and there was no way she would betray the people who had supported her up to this point.

It was ridiculous.

Watching Elina’s retreating figure, Margaretta sighed softly and sat back down, lifting her teacup.

’It’s a shame she’s so stubborn,’ she muttered. ’I was only warning her for her own safety. After all, she has an excellent fate. It would be such a pity if she were to die for nothing.’

She shook her head, a faintly mocking expression on her face.

What others didn’t know was that Margaretta possessed the ability to see the future.

And in the future she had seen of the throne battle, Cedric, the second prince, would win decisively.

That was why she had asked her father, Duke Ashvale, to support Cedric.

Unfortunately, unbeknownst to Margaretta, there was one variable she had failed to account for—standing behind Elina was Nolan, the Singularity of Chaos.